I know I can age them with a jawbone....but to be honest....there hasn't been a reason to. I've been hunting for a little over two years now....and I've taken one 3.5 yr old buck and one 4.5 yr old buck. I'll GUARANTEE you I haven't taken ONE 3.5 yr old doe in the 7 I've taken. And....it sin't for lack of trying. I'm gonna try to change that, next season.....and target me a big, old gal.
I'm not saying hunting does is "harder" than hunting bucks. I won't go there. I WILL go so far as to state my opinion that ANY 3.5 yr old deer is a trophy....and I doubt many 3.5 yr old and older does are taken by hunters ever year.
I'd love to know how many would think hunting does was "easy".....if they had to take an old, mature shela. I've never been fortunate enough to kill one. I know that. I've seen 'em.....I've tried....but I've yet to kill one.
Its been my experience that the old mature does are always on edge. They have been around and know what to look for. It seems like the mature does around here know to look in the trees.
__________________
"Success is simply a matter of luck. Ask any failure."
I saw an old gal the other saturay that would go 150#'s+ in my woods. She was a HUGE deer for these parts (doe). Her muzzle was long, squared off and she was DEFINITELY the matriarch of the group. I would have loved to have taken her....but her radar was on me like a fat kid on a twinkie.
I know I'd rather kill a 3.5 yr old doe than most 2.5 yr old bucks, here......for the "accomplishment" factor. I'm gonna work on that......
yeah me too GR8 (young and tender), but I'd love to target me an old gal for the accomplishment. I've never killed a mature doe. I have to mix it up a bit!
I've got a couple big girls over the years(stop it)and your right they are hard to hunt.A doe is on her guard ,as a mother its just instinct.Put some years onof hunters,dogs,yotes,etc,etc and they get smart.They also play a key position in the herd.
__________________
Greg
BOW JAX PRO STAFF
www.bowjax.com
www.camospace.com/gplant
Their are two things I feel that makethese mature 3.5+ year old doeseasier to kill than a 3.5+ year old buck.The first is that she must move more because of the fawns that are usually with her. I also think this movement makes their senses a bit sharper than most bucks though. The other thing I feel that makes these old girls more vulnerable (we discussed this at the HNI lunch), is that the does seem to want to confirm what their nose tells them with another sense such as sight or hearing before evacuating the area. The bigger bucks I have been around only need one sense to tell them something is wrong and they waste little to no time getting out of the situationwhen they do.
I've been fortunate enough to take quite a few of those older 3.5 year old does and I also believe they are trophys. Someday when I'm finally in a house and have a game room, I will have one of these old girls mounted.
No tinterested in a contest (personally)....just thought it would be cool to point out that .....while killing does isn't on the same level (with most) as killing bucks......I think ANY 3.5 yr old+ deer is quite a trophy. We kill a LOT of does as a group.....but I wonder how many MATURE does we take????
I'd love to know.....for sure...Age of Does
